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The 1954 French flap:

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October 18, 1954, Amiens, Somme:

Reference for this case: 20-Oct-54-Amiens-4.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.

Summary:

The regional newspaper Le Courrier Picard for October 19, 1954, indicated that the testimony of a resident of Amiens who wished to remain anonymous, but who knew enough to trust him completelywas communicated to them; he had been "skeptical" so far.

He said that when it was about be 4:25 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., he was near the Pré-Porus and Camon Bridge, and saw someone looking at a plane passing high in the sky, and who suddenly uttered an exclamation.

The witness looked in the direction that this person indicated, that is to the right of the river, towards the city.

He saw a shiny elliptical craft, certainly quite high and looking "about the size of a large ashtray." It was going fast, faster than a plane, flying horizontally and leaving no traces, no smoke, no condensation behind.

The witness said that he did not hear any noise, but that with the distance he could not say for sure that the object did not make any sound.

He commented: "I cannot define this thing. But it did not allow any comparison with an airplane. It was, moreover, I believe, larger than an airplane and in any case did not resemble any known aircraft."

The craft was flying in an East-West direction, giving the impression of oscillating, of tilting on its horizontal axis, offering to the eyes a variable surface.

The witness had time to call his wife before the silver-shining object disappeared into the clouds, all of which lasted for several tens of seconds, certainly less than a minute.

The newspaper added that five people ultimately claimed to have seen the "apparition" described above in approximately the same location.

The next day, the newspaper La Voix du Nord, in the Artois and the Somme issue, writes contemptuously - competition obliges? - that the "thing is becoming ordinary now to the point that we will only give a few lines to the latest events that came to our attention, in the field of the "flying saucers". A mysterious machine was reportedly seen moving Monday afternoon", thus on October 18, 1954, "above Amiens, at a very high altitude. For our part, we mainly observed the passage of jet planes. There is a person to claim that the craft has been visible for more than a minute."

Reports:

[Ref. cpd1:] NEWSPAPER "LE COURRIER PICARD":

Scan.

A new mysterious machine
crossed our sky yesterday

Each day its "saucer"... Once again we received disturbing testimonies yesterday on the enduring mystery of flying junk. While waiting for the enigma to be finally clarified, we are forced to be content with a narrative of the phenomena observed, taking care to sort out the jumble of comments, only the statements whose sincerity and objectivity are not in doubt.

The last testimony which has just been communicated to us emanates from a Amiens resident who wishes to remain anonymous but whom we know enough to totally trust him. He too - like so many others - "hardly believed in it."

Certainly not a known craft...

"It might have been 4:25 - 4:30 p.m., he told us. I was near the Pré-Porus and the Camon Bridge.

"A person, who was on the spot watching a plane passing very high in the sky, suddenly uttered an exclamation. I looked up in the direction he indicated, that is to the right of the river, towards the city.

"Then I saw a brilliant elliptical object. It was certainly very high and appeared to me the size of a large ashtray. It was going fast, faster than an airplane. Its flight line was horizontal and it left no trace behind, no smoke, no condensation.

"I didn't hear any noise, but at this distance I can't say for sure that it didn't produce any noise."

And our interlocutor adds, responding with a caution that fits well with his sincerity:

"I cannot define this thing. But it did not allow any comparison with an airplane. It was, moreover, I believe, larger than an airplane and in any case did not resemble any known craft."

Moving in an East-West direction, the craft gave the impression of oscillating, of tilting on its horizontal axis, offering to the eyes a variable surface.

The witness who told us about the matter had time to call his wife before the object shining like silver disappeared in the clouds. The whole thing had lasted a few tens of seconds, certainly less than a minute.

Five people, in the end, claim to have seen, at about the same place, the "appearance" described above.

Confirmation of other passages

We reported yesterday the statements of a waiter, Mr. Roger Anquetil, on the passage of a "red ball" in the Amiens sky, Saturday at 9:15 p.m.

This observation was confirmed to us yesterday by Mr. Claude Thuillier, residing at 36, rue Dame-Jeanne. Mr. Thuillier, who was on Saturday evening on the Pont de la Solitude, clearly saw a small ball, but of a brilliant white, followed by a long trail of sparks.

Mr. Thuiller adds that this ball, which moved horizontally very high and very quickly, was visible for about five seconds.

Also, Mr. Pruvost, of Rivery, let us know that he had, on Saturday evening also, seen the machine described by Mrs. Fournier, garage owner, place du Marché-aux-Chevaux.

A spherical object above Ham

A brave painter riding a bicycle saw Sunday around 9:40 p.m., near the Picard farm, at the exit of Saint-Sulpice, a spherical object followed by a light cone. But the appearance was brief. The time to dismount and it was gone.

Also, fifteen residents of Ham, gathered near the bridge of Chauny, observed in the sky, in the direction of Péronne, an orange gleam that didn't look like a star.

One of the witnesses equipped with binoculars claims to have noticed gushing from the luminous ellipse, like green sparks, orangeish white. The residents of rue de l'Arquebuse made the same observation. But while everyone declared that they did observe something extraordinary, no one would assert that they had distinguished flying saucers or interplanetary travelers.

[Ref. vdn1:] NEWSPAPER "LA VOIX DU NORD":

Scan.

AND MORE
MYSTERIOUS
CRAFT!

The thing is becoming ordinary now to the point that we will only give a few lines to the latest events that came to our attention, in the field of the "flying saucers". A mysterious machine was reportedly seen moving Monday afternoon above Amiens, at a very high altitude. For our part, we mainly observed the passage of jet planes. There is a person to claim that the craft has been visible for more than a minute.

It is in Ham that we met dozens of people who saw an orange disc emitting sparks of all colors. Some of these people examined the craft with binoculars without making any findings other than the ones we report.

Explanations:

Map.

Possible jet plane.

Keywords:

(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)

Amiens, Somme, police officer, lens, Delcourt, rue Gauthier-de-Rumilly, Ailly-sur-Somme, silver, shining, silent

Sources:

[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.

Document history:

Version: Created/Changed by: Date: Change Description:
1.0 Patrick Gross April 3, 2020 First published.
1.1 Patrick Gross October 10, 2021 Addition [vdn1]. In the Summary, addition of the information from [vdn1]. Case date changed from mid October to October 18.

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